Paul's use of this fact in Gal. 3: is to force the Galatians to see how foolish they really

were, to allow the imposition of such a law upon the glorious grace of the gospel.

Charin "because of" transgressions, retains its primitive sense, the law that was

"added" included the provision of priest and sacrifice, shadows of good things to come.

Neither the law as a whole nor the ceremonial law as a part, could provide righteousness

or life.

As we have said earlier, between 250 and 300 interpretations have been noted, of this

difficult verse. These it will be profitless to discuss, for they all ignore the testimony of

Heb. 12:  The innate idea of a mediator demands two parties. This is true of the law,

God being the One and the people of Israel the other contracting party. In the promise

made to Abraham, "God was One". Abraham was caused to fall into a "deep sleep"

(Gen. 15: 12) so that he could promise nothing. The Apostle therefore, picking up the

argument started in Gal. 3: 15 concerning the Galatian will, proves the superiority of

the promise made to Abraham, and the impossibility that the law, given 430 years

afterward, should make it invalid or of none effect.

In Gal. 3: 19 the Apostle asked the question "wherefore then serveth the law?" and

provided the answer "it was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to

whom the promise was made".  Now lest there should appear to be any inherent

antagonism between the promise of God and the law of God, he puts another question:

"Is the law then against the promises of God?" and his answer, like the answers to similar

questions in Rom. 6: and 7: provides a complete denial of such an idea, "God forbid".

The apparent antagonism is only produced by the attempt to compare things that differ.

The promise of God, asks nothing of the flesh, and takes no account of human frailty; the

law, however, as a covenant was rendered "weak through the flesh" (Rom. 8: 3),

because a "covenant" implies contracting parties. To make the promise "sure", it was

implemented by faith and grace (Rom. 4: 16); the law was not intended as a provider of

righteousness and life, but rather that it should reveal human inability of produce

righteousness, and lead the sinner to the only source of righteousness and life, the Son of

God Himself as proclaimed in the gospel.